This was the first trip to Bonaire for my wife and I (June 5-12). The following report is long but hopefully it gives some other first time travelers some helpful information. I know we learned a lot about Bonaire from this website and would just like to pass along what we could.
Flight - We arrived at BWI in Baltimore, MD a little over two hours prior to our AJ flight to Montego Bay. We did get our carry-on bags thoroughly inspected probably due in part to the regulators and dive computers. But we were early and felt better safer than sorry. Our flights to Montego Bay and then to Bonaire were on time and uneventful. The service, and even the food on the AJ flights were good. We were served a hot breakfast of French toast or eggs on our first leg from BWI to MB, and then had a sandwich on the second leg to Bonaire. The luggage arrived in Bonaire with us even though we had a quick plane transfer in Montego Bay. I was skeptical about AJ since this was our first flight with them. But I can’t say anything negative about them and I would travel with them in the future.
Car Rental – We had a rental truck as part of our package. We got a Toyota, dual cab, small bed pickup from AB Car Rental at the airport. The truck was a bare bones model (without A/C, radio, or a clock) but it was well suited Bonaire shore diving. The vinyl seats and flooring were very forgiving to a wetsuit and boots straight out of the ocean. On our shore dives, we did as we were told and left nothing in the truck, the windows rolled down and doors unlocked. Obviously nothing was stolen.
Truck Keys While Diving - We had a small Otter box and placed the truck keys and a little cash in it and placed it in a BC pocket. One of our BC pockets had a clip inside the pocket so we hooked the lanyard of the box on the clip and zippered it in the pocket just in case the zipper came open underwater. Nothing was lost.
Accommodations - We stayed at Belmar Apartments just south of the airport. We were upgraded from a second floor one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom first floor apartment. This apartment was about 20 steps to the pool and the same amount to the dock. I can’t say enough about Belmar Apartments. The units, pool and surrounding areas were all very clean and in good shape. The apartment had a kitchen with a full size refrig., microwave and cooktop. The unit also had a large patio where we ate all of our meals. Belmar is more secluded than the resorts. There were only a handful of families there for the week we were there. Most of the time it was very peaceful and we felt like we were the only ones there. We enjoyed the peace and tranquility. Our next trip to Bonaire we will not look anywhere else. You do need a vehicle since you are a few minutes from town and there isn’t much to walk to. But if you enjoy the peacefulness, you can beat it. In addition to the pool they had two docks with large palm leaf umbrella and lounge chairs on them. They also had two rinse tanks and a fresh water shower right on the dock for a quick cleaning from the dive.
Dive Shop - Toucan Dive operates a shop right on the premises. Erika and Monique run the shop and were very helpful and friendly. You have a key to get tanks whenever you want. They also have a place to hang your wetsuits and BC’s to dry out. If no one is in the shop they lock it so your items are secure. The same key that gives you access to the tanks also gives you access to your items so you never have to worry. The dive shop also keeps some accessories on stock so if you lose or break something you just have to go a few steps away.
Our boat dives left from the Plaza Resort, also by Toucan Dive. The Plaza Resort was about 3 minutes from Belmar. Even though we had to drive to the boat, it wasn’t a hassle. We just threw our gear in the truck and parked only 100 feet from the boats. It was easy in and out. Ebby and AnnaBelle were our divemasters for the week. They were very knowledgeable and always pointed out items/fish of interest. On the way to the dive sites we ran across a pod of dolphins on two different days. On both days the boat captain circled around and followed the dolphins to the enjoyment of everyone on board. The dive boats were spacious and met all the needs of the divers.
House Reef – The house reef at Belmar is just as good as anywhere on the island. It is a private area just for the apartment guests. They have steps that lead from the dock right into the water. There is also a rope that leads from the steps to the reef buoy. So you can get in the water, drop down or snorkel and just follow the rope to the reef. This rope makes it very nice for a night dive. We just tied a strobe to the buoy line, did our dive and returned to the strobe and just followed the rope back to the dock. No fuss, no muss. On the house reef we saw just about every type of fish and eel that we saw anywhere else on the island. We dove the house reef twice during the day and twice as night. You just couldn’t beat the convenience.
Diving – Our package included one boat dive per day and unlimited shore diving. On the boat dives we visited Klein Bonaire three days and headed to the north end of the island the other days. On Klein we dove at Bonadventure, Forest, and the Rock Pile. On Bonaire we dove at Hilma Hooker, Alice in Wonderland, Angel City, 18th Palm, Karpata, Country Garden and Reppel. All the diving was good. The sites at Klein where choppy because of the winds and the viz. wasn’t as good as the main island. The sites on the northern end of the island had better viz. than the southern end. The thing that we were most amazed at was the diversity of the bottom terrain. The bottom terrain varied from a shear drop off, to a gradually sloping bottom, to a two reef system. We found something at each sight that made that sight memorable. In addition to all the coral and marine life, the more memorable items we ran across were seahorses, frog fish, scorpion fish, eels, dolphins, spotted drums, barracudas, squids, and a spotted eagle ray. There is just too much to mention but our favorite sites were Country Garden and Karpata. You have to remember that you are diving in an ocean and things change daily. What someone sees one day doesn’t mean you will find it the next day.
Bugs – We heard a lot about the bug bites prior to our trip. We took along a can of bug spray and used it before we went out and we only had a few bites between the two of us. We also purchased an indoor bug strip at Wal-Mart for the apartment. This strip was supposed to take care of mosquitos, flies and no-see-ums for 4 months. We hung the unit on the fire extinguisher near the trashcan as soon as we got there. We didn’t leave the doors or screens open and we never had one problem with bugs the whole trip. We just left the strip there for the next tenants.
Dining – Since we had a full kitchen we ate all our breakfasts and lunches on our patio. We got food from the Cultimera as well as things we brought along with us from home. For dinner we had burgers and drinks at the Lions Den and Rum Runners. Both dinners were very tasty, a great atmosphere overlooking the water and a reasonable price. Two nights we did night dives, so we picked up chicken at KFC and calzones at the pizza place across from KFC. We just heated the items up after we got in from our night dives. Again both were tasty and very reasonable.
We did go out for a few dinners, including stops at Old Inn, Donna and Giorgio’s and Zee Zicht’s. The Old Inn was quiet, the service and food was good and the price for the two of us with drinks was about $45 US. They gave you a lot to eat.
At Donna and Giorgio’s we were serenaded by about seven local gentlemen playing instruments and singing the whole time we were there. It was very relaxing. It was also a little different. They had one big menu on a blackboard that they took from table to table. The place was near full when we arrived so we waited about a half hour after sitting down to wait for the menu to get to us so we could order. The place did fill up and a lot of people turned away after the place was full. The food was very good but it did take a while to get your food. This is after the half hour wait for the menu. But we didn’t mind the wait. The music was good and where else can you sit and hear every table around you talking about the dive stories of the day. I think the price for the two of us was about $40 for dinner and a few sodas.
At Zee Zicht’s we ate inside the A/C bar area. The place was nice but without the open-air seating or music, the atmosphere wasn’t at nice. The food and service was good and quick and the bill was about $45. I would go back to all the places.
You did have to look at the check. Some places automatically added a 10% service charge (automatic tip) and other places did not.
Travel Tips – This was our first trip to Bonaire and we learned a thing or two that the next first time travelers might appreciate. First off…pack light. Being from Pennsylvania, in early June it still gets a little chilly. So we packed a few pairs of jeans, sweatshirts and light jackets. None of these made it out of the apartment. Most of the time when we went to town or out to eat we just wore nice shorts and shirts. My wife took along nice dresses but those didn’t make it out of our apartment either. Almost all of our town visits were after dives so the formal attire didn’t get used. Now this was the first week of June so I don’t know how the temperature varies throughout the year. Second, if you’re a milk drinker from the states, look for refrigerated milk that is made in Miami. There is cow’s milk made in Curacao but it does have a very different taste than milk from the US. They also carry non-refrigerated milk that we stayed away from. But this was a learning experience. But there are only a few stores and the supply is limited so it may take a few trips to find the milk. Third…if you have a kitchen area, take along some paper plates and paper towels. We bought about 20 paper plates for about 2.50 guilders. If you have a kitchen, also take along so dishwashing liquid. There was none in the apartment and we had to buy a small bottle even though we only needed a few drops. We did leave the bottle for the next people, but you never know how lucky you will be.
Other Island Info. – In addition to the diving there are other things to see on the island. It is worth taking some time in the afternoons and visiting the salt flats and Lac Bay in the south and Washington Slaagbai State Park in the north. We stopped at the park late in the afternoon and the ranger said it was too late to enter the park. It takes at least 2.5 hours to drive around and the park closes around 5pm. So if you are going to the park go early in the day. But even if you don’t go into the park you can still drive around the north end of the island and drive through Rincon. You get to see flamingos, donkeys, iguana’s and as much cactus as would like.
Summary – We just loved our visit. We found out that in six days of diving you just can’t see it all (or even most of it). All the people were very friendly, the island was very clean (not a piece of trash anywhere) and you just can’t beat the convenience of the shore diving. You can dive where you want for as long as you want. It was a great first visit and it surely will not be our last. |
By Jeff Raykos on Monday, July 1, 2002 - 7:19 am: 
